About Sts. Cyril & Methodius · Prague, Nebraska
Sts. Cyril & Methodius is a small rural Catholic mission church located near the former village of Plasi in Saunders County, Nebraska, about a mile outside the village of Prague. It is a Mission of St. John Parish in Prague, and belongs to the Diocese of Lincoln (Wahoo Deanery). The parish was founded by Czech (Bohemian) immigrants in the 1870s and remains a beloved place of worship for descendants of those pioneers — even though the village of Plasi itself disappeared around 1900 when the railroad bypassed it.
- Established
- 1878
- Patron
- Saints Cyril and Methodius
- Rector
- Rev. Matthew Zimmer
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lincoln
Why belong here
Sts. Cyril & Methodius is more than a mission church — it is a living link to one of the earliest Czech Catholic settlements in Nebraska, founded by Bohemian pioneers in 1871 and serving worshippers continuously since 1878. Descendants of the founding families still gather here for Mass, weddings, funerals, and the traditional Czech feasts and songs that mark special occasions. Visitors are welcomed into a small but deeply rooted rural community where the same family names (Snitily, Kremlacek, and others) have worshipped for eight generations, and where the surrounding cemetery tells the story of a vanished Czech-American village whose church outlived it.
Mass times at Sts. Cyril & Methodius
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 30 minutes before Mass
Parish Identity and Mission Status
Sts. Cyril & Methodius is a small Catholic mission church in rural Saunders County, Nebraska, listed in the Diocese of Lincoln directory as a Mission of St. John the Baptist Parish in Prague. It is located in the Wahoo Deanery and shares its pastor and mailing address with St. John Parish. The church sits on County Road O in Plasi — the site of a vanished Czech-American village — and its grounds include the historic parish cemetery established in 1873.
- Mission of: St. John the Baptist Parish, Prague
- Deanery: Wahoo (Dean: Very Rev. Matthew Zimmer, V.F.)
- Listed in the Diocese of Lincoln parish directory under entry 767
Founding and Early History (1871–1900)
The parish traces its origin to September 1871, when Jesuit missionary Rev. Francis Sulak celebrated the first Catholic Mass for Czech settlers in Nebraska in the farm home of pioneer Joseph Simanek, a native of Lucice near Klatovy. Rev. Sulak and Rev. F. Bobal alternated in bringing the sacraments to scattered homesteaders, meeting in homes and school buildings. In 1873 the community bought forty acres of land and established a cemetery that is still in use. Ground was broken for a church in 1877, and the first resident pastor, Rev. Vaclav Kocarnik, held the first services in March 1878.
- 1871 — first Mass celebrated by Rev. Francis Sulak, S.J., in the home of Joseph Simanek
- 1873 — forty acres purchased and cemetery established
- 1877 — construction of the first church began
- March 1878 — first services held by Rev. Vaclav Kocarnik, first resident priest
- 1885–1889 — Rev. Jordan Stutz, a German priest whose tenure caused some ethnic tension
- October 4, 1889 — Rev. Francis Hovora arrived and restored peace to the parish
The Parish Endures: Fires, Lightning, and a Vanished Village
Even as the village of Plasi (originally named Plzen/Pilsen) dwindled to nothing around 1900 — it had peaked at about 40 residents in 1890 and died out after the railroad bypassed it — the church survived repeated disasters. The original 1878 church burned on April 14, 1901; Rev. John Vlcek built a larger replacement. In 1914 lightning struck the steeple. Then on a hot August day in 1934 the rebuilt church was destroyed by fire, reportedly when a candle left burning in the sanctuary melted over and ignited papers. The present church was built on the same site and remains the spiritual home of descendants of the original settlers.
- 1901 (April 14) — church burned; rebuilt larger under Rev. John Vlcek
- 1914 — lightning struck the steeple
- 1934 (August) — church destroyed by fire (candle ignited papers); rebuilt again
- c. 1900 — the village of Plasi ceases to exist; the church and cemetery survive
Czech Heritage and Community Life
Parishioners like Lucille Kremlacek and Leonard Snitily — descendants of the original Czech pioneers — describe Sts. Cyril & Methodius as their 'lifetime parish,' where they were confirmed, married, and will be buried. For generations the services were entirely in Czech; the gradual transition to English came only in the mid-20th century, after a returning serviceman brought home a non-Czech-speaking wife. Czech songs remain part of the parish's musical tradition for weddings, funerals, and feast days, and the surrounding cemetery — established in 1873 — holds generations of the founding families alongside a monument to Leonard's brother, who was killed in action in World War II. Local historian Eugene Kremlacek has documented the parish as a rare surviving landmark of the vanished village of Plasi.
- Founded by Bohemian (Czech) immigrants in the 1870s
- Czech-language services continued into the mid-20th century
- Czech hymns still sung at special events
- Eight-generation descendants still worship here
- WWII memorial monument on parish grounds
- Traditional church dinners, summer picnics, and outdoor dances historically held on parish grounds
Visiting the Parish
The mission church sits in open countryside on County Road O, visible from Highway 79 to the west. Its rural setting makes it a peaceful pilgrimage site for visitors interested in Czech-American Catholic heritage and the history of early Nebraska immigrant communities. The parish shares its phone number and mailing address (PO Box 96, Prague, NE 68050) with St. John the Baptist Parish in Prague, so inquiries are routed through the parish office.
- Address: 2880 County Road O, Plasi, NE 68050
- Mailing: PO Box 96, Prague, NE 68050
- Phone: (402) 663-4615 (shared with St. John Parish, Prague)
- Visible from Highway 79, about a mile outside the village of Prague
- Diocese of Lincoln parish directory entry: lincolndiocese.org/directory/parishes/767
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Francis Sulak, S.J.1871–
Jesuit missionary; said the first Mass for Czechs in Nebraska in the home of Joseph Simanek in September 1871.
- Rev. F. Bobal
Alternated with Rev. Sulak in celebrating early Masses in homes and school buildings.
- Rev. Vaclav Kocarnik1878–1885
First resident priest; held the first services in the newly built church in March 1878.
- Rev. Jordan StutzOctober 1885 – October 1889
German-speaking priest; his tenure caused some dissension in the Czech community.
- Rev. Philip Maly
Briefly succeeded Rev. Stutz.
- Rev. Francis HovoraOctober 4, 1889 – 1900
Born Nov. 21, 1865 in České Budějovice; ordained in Lincoln on Feb. 5, 1889; restored peace to the parish; later went to Lawrence, NE and Pennsylvania.
- Rev. John Vlcek1900 – April 1910
Rebuilt a larger church after the original burned on April 14, 1901.
- Rev. Victor MlejnekApril 1910 – August 2, 1914
- Rev. Alois GrycDecember 14, 1914 – July 20, 1919
Served during the period when lightning struck the steeple in 1914.
- Rev. Francis KopeckyOctober 1919 – November 10, 1920
- Rev. Vaclav PokornyDecember 1920 – January 24, 1926
- Rev. Ignac (Hynek) SkopalJanuary 24, 1926 –
Redemptorist from Nasobůrky near Litovle, Moravia; ordained 1909; served as field curate on the Italian front in WWI; received the silver cross 'piis meritis' for his chaplaincy work.
- Rev. Matthew Zimmer2015–
Appointed Pastor of Saint John the Baptist Parish in Prague and Saints Cyril and Methodius Parish in Plasi in 2015; also teaches at Bishop Neumann Jr./Sr. High School and serves as Dean (V.F.) of the Wahoo Deanery.